Hi want to build a maypole in my camp (Camp Beaverton). A maypole is a traditionally British symbol of fertility and spring which seems to be rather fitting for this year. I don't really know how to best make the pole stand up and with stand the winds. It'll just have fabric streamers attached to the top, so it won't have the potential to catch the wind like a flag. So if you've done this before, or have advice I would greatly appreciate it. I'm thinking about 15ft high.

That wants to be about 5 feet in the ground. So you need a post hole digger or a power auger that long. Then you need to dig it out and replace the dirt, tamping it down with the right moisture in about 4-6" layers.

I am planning on putting up a teatherball pole. If my pole is 2 3/8" outer diameter and 15' long (I know that seems far-fetched even for Burning Man, but stay with me here...) and I can actually find a 2 3/8" auger that is 5' long and I sink it 5' into the ground do you think that will hold up a week of teatherballing? Additionally, if it ends up being a rock solid placement, any tips on how I will be able to extract it on Sunday? I don't have the pipe yet, so all dimensions are a guesstimate here. Please feel free to offer other suggestions.

I can absolutely guarantee you can't put a 2-3/8" pipe in a 2-3/8" dirt hole. Use a regular old post-hole digger and a stick for tamping and you'll be able to pack dirt around the pole to firm it up. If you use plumbing pipe, nominal 1-1/4" steel pipe should be fine. Two inch would be overkill. With a post-hole digger you can reach four feet deep, which should be enough for nine or ten feet sticking up out of the ground. You'll need a farm jack to get it out, along with a plumber's wrench big enough to span the pipe, and a length of chain.

DO IT AT HOME FIRST. I can't stress this enough. If you can't do it right in the middle of your front lawn, don't fucking bring it to Burning Man. If you don't understand anything that I typed, I recommend Scrabble instead.

Bob wrote:DO IT AT HOME FIRST. I can't stress this enough. If you can't do it right in the middle of your front lawn, don't fucking bring it to Burning Man.

This bears repeating. It's true for every structure that you intend to build on the playa. I also recommend the try-at-home approach to recipes, evaporation ponds, and whatever else you intend to do on the playa whose success is an integral part of your playa experience. Make sure you can do it at home first.